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Over the past three years, the KMC Eagles ice hockey organization has made a name for itself as American ambassadors to the sport, winning numerous tournaments across Europe including the most coveted U.S. Air Forces in Europe Armed Forces competition.
On an open invitation, the Eagles recently traveled to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to play in the 18th annual European tournament against teams from Norway, England, Belgium, the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
On Day One, the Eagles had Mike Kwain in net during the first face-off of the tournament against the local favorite, Den Hague Flames. Within minutes of puck drop, forward Buddy Upham put the Eagles up two goals, but a quick response from the Flames tied the game 2-2. Late into the second period, two goals from Eagle forwards Adam Nyitray and Diontae Guy again put the Eagles up 4-2.
But the resilient Flames tied the game at four goals. Late in the third period, forward Ace Slepica put the Eagles up by one. The Eagles’ grinding line, Matt Lemieux, Mike Montaldo, Todd Dryzka and Darrin Reuss, kept the opposing team from any further scoring opportunities. Under fire, the Flames pulled their goalie only to have Eagles player/coach Jack Connolly score on the Flames’ empty net, resulting in a 6-4 Eagle victory.
Day Two consisted of two games for the Eagles: the first, and toughest, was against the Stavanger Sun Riders, which resulted in a disappointing 2-3 loss for the Eagles.
Reeling from the upset, the Eagles knew the next game had to be a win or the chances of playing in the finals would be outside their grasp. Getting off to a slow start, the Eagles found themselves two goals down early against the Belgium Brussels Sprouts. Relentless pressure and superior goaltending allowed a 9-4 win, placing the Eagles into the semi-finals.
On Day Three, the semi-final matchup put the battle weary Eagles against the defending champions, the Zoetermeer Outlaws, an aggressive and overly confident team. Though the Eagles started off the game two goals down, they ended up taking the win with 6 seconds left in overtime.
Entering the final game, the Eagles battled once again with the only team to hand them a loss — the favored to win Stavanger Sun Riders. With only 30 minutes of rest between games, Coach Connolly instructed the players that goals needed to be scored fast and early, a strategy that would have a 2-0 lead at the end of the first period by Nyitray and Connolly. Into the second period, the Sun Riders placed two goals, resulting in a 2-2 tie. Determined, Eagles players Connolly and Chris Mitchell put two more points on the board. Taking advantage of two Eagles penalties, the Sun Riders scored twice more, heading the game into overtime.
Exhausted and rubber legged, the Eagles entered into yet another overtime game of the day. But the Eagles’ opportunity came when Matt Belmonte and Shaun Carroll returned pressure along the boards, forcing the puck up to Diontae Guy for a terrific one-timer for the winning goal. The KMC Eagles are the 18th European Champions. Only one tournament remains for the Eagles — the Hooters Championship.
For more information about the KMC Eagles, visit www.KMCEagles.com.
(Courtesy of the KMC Eagles)
